Marmalade Boy
by ConcordBroken
Summary: Oblivous and soft-hearted Molly made a tough decision when she left her family. But she enjoys her freedom and new home, with the exception of a bittersweet someone. Will the passage of time bring Molly happiness? Or does danger lurk in Molly's future?
1. Chapter 1

_ Meet Molly…_

With soft, short ginger hair and eyes like dark golden amber, Molly had always thought of herself as the shy, kind soul no one could ignore. Unlike her brazen and defiant twin sister; she had always been the quiet voice of reason; like the yin to Angela's yang. Molly was never one to take drastic measures when things got bad. So when she saw her mother and father fighting, instead of running at them and telling them they were being stupid, immature, brats as Angela had, she hid under the covers and cried for hours without end. Even when her father beat her and her sister she would only cover her head and plead for him to stop. Angela always fought back; whether it was by biting him, kicking, or scratching. And when her favorite stuffed bunny, Fluffy, had been ripped from her hands and thrown into the dirt by some boy who didn't like her for whatever reason, she watched quietly and said nothing, too afraid to speak. If it weren't for her sister, Fluffy would have been torn into pieces that day. As the years went by, neither she nor her sister changed; even as a teenager Angela was still stuck sticking up for her docile sister. Molly felt terrible about this yes, but she was hopeless to change to say the least. She was a lover, not a fighter.

You would think that a girl so shy and delicate would be popular with the boys, wouldn't you? Well, Molly was. She was just too absorbed into her books to take advantage of it. Perhaps she was too much of an airhead to notice it, but she **did **have curves. That was probably the only area she beat her sister in.

Looking back on it now, if it weren't for that fateful day she would still be living near her parents in the city. She might not have run away. Although either way she would pretty much be going nowhere in life, leaving after that day was one of the only decisions she had made by herself, and she was proud of it.

And to think…it was all because she had finally become fed up with her parents arguing, the countless bruises she had earned thanks to the relentless abuse and just being vulnerable in general. She had felt completely useless. After Angela had left her to pursue her dream of becoming a great rancher she had no one. She had been to shy to make her own friends, and she wasn't close enough to Angela's to confide in them.

Now…

What was that fateful day you ask? That fateful day when little Molly finally "lost her temper"…why, that was her 18th birthday…

Without a second thought she had fled the house that night with her stuffed rabbit and a backpack filled with personal items, crying. She didn't even look back when her drunken father yelled for her to get in the house, or even when the gray clouds in the sky gave way to rain. Instead, she ran through the city street clutching Fluffy not caring who saw her. Hours later, she ended up hiding in a boat due to exhaustion. Being tired and thinking no one would find her; she had thought it was a pretty logical thing to do at the time. If she hadn't been so disoriented at the time, she would have probably wondered where the boat was going…


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! It's me again! I'm surprised I got so many comments on that one little chapter…I have to thank everyone who bothers to read the crud I write. So…yeah, thanks!**

**Anyways…I know in AP you don't necessarily come in on a boat. I completely forgot that because I haven't had my Wii for almost 3 years now and as such, have not played the game in some time that's how that happened…**

**This story won't have much action in, just so you know…it's gonna be closely based on the game and the heart events in the game. And I see Molly as the "fashionista" type for some reason. Or the ditzy bookworm…so that's how I'm making her. As for Chase…well, let's just say I like jerks.**

**Chapters will most likely be Chase's or Molly's point of view…I might switch off every other chapter or something like that… iunno…**

Sunrise

Today was Spring 15th. Counting the day that Molly had fallen off the boat- today was her 14th day on the island of Castanet. Well, she figured it was Rustling a bit under the covers before she made an effort to get up, Molly slightly perked her head up to look out the window. Outside the sun was just beginning to rise up into the sky. Tints of a soft purple sky and a cool breeze greeted Molly as she walked out onto her ranch. Molly let out a loud yawn and stretched. Already she could tell today was going to be another busy one. Although she hadn't yet gotten used to running around the large island quite yet, she had already come to adore it. Molly was all for the relaxed atmosphere and carefree pace that Castanet had to offer. She didn't even mind that her house was a wreck (broken door, cracked window, hole in the roof…yep, the whole package) and that she was stuck farming for the rest of her days. Or that she had to hand over 5000 G to Mayor Hamilton for nothing. It was better than being beaten up and staying a loner, that's for sure. At least she got to name the ranch so it all actually felt real. If she worked hard enough maybe Moonbell- her ranch- would actually become successful and she would be able to live like one of those old rich farmers who had huge houses and lots of land like she saw on the commercials in the city. Or, she would fail completely and possibly be forced to go back to the city. Now it was obvious she didn't want to let that happen so…the first option was pretty much mandatory…

Beside with the way the sun set in the horizon in all the different shades and hues…and the way the clouds feathered out to look like angel wings…the lush rustling leaves that blew softly when the wind rushed by…

The definition of a perfect vacation spot wouldn't you agree?

In all due respect, she would be crazy not to want to live here. She was away from everything and everyone that could and most likely would hurt her. If this was her paradise, then the city was her prison.

Humming to herself quietly, Molly grabbed her watering can from the side of her house and walked over to her small plot of land to water the Turnips she had planted herself not too long ago.

"Molly! Don't forget to take care of Moka!" A tiny voice exclaimed suddenly from Molly's side. Molly looked over her shoulder and smiled at the source of the voice. It was Finn who spoke. Finn was a tiny orange Harvest Sprite who had bumped into Molly while she was meeting the villagers. When Molly first saw him she had tried not to giggle at the tiny orange outfit her donned; it reminded her of little orange pajamas-hers to be exact. But the green hair? Now that was a bit strange.

Upon meeting Finn, Molly had learned that the Harvest Goddess needed her help. Finn had been searching all over for her. Due to Molly's gentle nature and innocent heart, she was one of the few people who weren't children that could see the Harvest Goddess and her sprites. Molly couldn't disagree. I mean, what are the chances of someone needing **her**? Especially the Harvest Goddess! As a child Molly had loved the whimsical tales of the powerful fae and her Harvest Sprites. For a lack of better words, the Harvest Goddess was pretty much her idol. Next to her sister Angela, that is.

Molly's first few days were pretty hectic because of this... In addition to meeting the villagers who wouldn't stop complaining about 'How much their lives sucked.' because nothing worked anymore, she had to get past a group of angry animals **just **to get to the Harvest Goddess herself! Molly spent around 4 days trying to get a simple Animal Whistle to calm them down so she and Finn could pass. But that was just the beginning. Throw in a dying divine tree and elemental bells and you have a whole adventure.

Basically, Molly had to restore a **whole **Island by herself, and start a successful farm. Fortunately she already had rung 1 bell, a red one, and had helped Alan return to his rightful place alongside the Harvest Goddess; who Molly assumed was his mother, that is, if Harvest Sprites even have parents.

So, in other words, the islanders finally stopped complaining about the weak fire. That of course, took awhile to get as well and she still had to deal with their complaints about the soil and the winds and such… She had probably fainted around 6 times before being able to collect all the necessary metals to free the bell from the chimney after Chloe had kicked it.

Well…at least she had a cute cow and someone to talk to…right?

"Don't worry. I'll do that next." Molly assured Finn. She finished watering the Turnips and walked over to the barn, which, by the way, was also a wreck. But Molly being the clean freak she had become thanks to her sister had cleaned up around the outside of the barn and had gotten rid of the cobwebs along the walls. It actually didn't look so bad now. Inside laid a small brown calf with a darker brown nose and a muzzle tinged with white. Molly hadn't been sure if she wanted a cow when the rancher, Cain had first offered…but when she first saw Moka…well, there was simply no way she could disagree! Now Molly was happily skipping over to the latte colored calf overflowing with glee that she had her first animal.

Moka mooed quietly as Molly petted her side with care.

"Oh Moka…you're so cute…" Molly cooed to the calf. She reached down to the brush she had put in her side pouch and slowly began to brush Moka.

"So…" Finn fluttered to the top of Molly's ginger head, "What are we going to do today?"

Molly put the brush back into its rightful place and wrinkled her nose; her face became pensive with thought. As stated before, the petite girl wasn't the best at making her own decisions.

"Well…" she mused. With dainty steps she made her way over to the feeder and took out some fodder for Moka "I don't really know…" she told Finn. After putting the fodder in the trough Molly blinked twice, dumbfounded. What was there to do? She asked herself. Nothing really came to mind. Moka looked over to Molly quickly and snorted a little in reply; the calf was now much too focused to even bother paying full attention to either Molly or Finn. Apparently, fodder was a very important matter; not the best food choice though, but still somehow important. Sometimes Molly thought that Moka liked food more than her. She was really beginning to think that was a correct assumption.

"Come on!" Finn exclaimed. In the short 15 days he had accompanied Molly he had already pretty much decided everything that they would be doing. He was getting tired of it by now. "If you can't decide yourself then I guess I'll just have to think of something."

Molly laughed nervously and ran back outside leaving Moka to herself. In all honesty, that was really the best choice. On both ends of the situation.

Finn sighed loudly, "Molly, Molly, and Molly…"the small Sprite then waggled a little finger at the girl and tsked"Sometimes you can be pretty hopeless."

"I know…" Molly agreed but hesitantly. "You don't have to be so mean Finn."

"Sorry." Finn apologized, but in his head he was laughing. Not laughing as if he liked making fun of her and took pride in it, but laughing because Molly had actually agreed to his insult.

"It's okay…"Molly shrugged. She knew it was true. I mean, she couldn't even decide what to wear for her third job interview without an hour's time and her sisters help.

"Where are we going?" Molly asked Finn while walking off the grassy ranchland. The air had finally begun to warm up a bit and the breeze was like a warm caress as it blew through Molly's hair.

"Well," Finn began, "of course we have to try to get the next bell. The faster we get all the bells…the better!"

"I had a feeling you would say that…" replied Molly under her breath. Then, not really understanding why, she began running towards the beach that was closest to her ranch. It sounded like a small voice was crying out from that area. It might have been her imagination but…there was no harm in looking, right?

The sand crunched loudly underneath her feet as she darted over to a small yellow object that was shining lightly from the sun's rays; it was buried under the sand…

"WAIT!" Finn yelled suddenly. Molly couldn't see it, but the Sprites eyes were growing wide with terror. But Molly didn't stop; no…she kept running, and tripped right over whatever she had been running towards.

"Oww!" groaning, the young girl turned over and sniffled. There was something hard and cold under her foot, but she was too fazed at the moment to try pulling it out of the sand. She did however, sit up and rub her foot to ease the pain. Finn on the other hand had flown quite a ways away, but by some magic, he was fine. He stared at Molly blankly and went back into the air as if nothing had happened.

"What was that all about?" Molly demanded "Why did you yell at me?"

"I was trying to tell you to watch out for that yellow thing you were running at!" Finn exclaimed in protest.

"Oh…" Molly said, understanding. Sometimes when she became focused on certain things she forgot about everything else. Like with books for example. Molly stood up and dusted the sand off of her outfit. Then, her attention finally focused on the object she had tripped over. While Molly couldn't really explain what made her run- perhaps it was the weak voice she thought she had heard- she had a strong feeling whatever was buried was important, so with all the strength her tiny arms carried, she pulled at it as hard as she could. With a surprisingly tremendous force, the object popped out of the ground; sand exploded in Molly and Finn's faces. The bell rose high up into the air and landed with a thud right on the shore where it had been buried before as if nothing had happened.

"Oww!" Molly cried. Her hands flew to her eyes which had practically become filled with sand. In a helpless effort to get the sand out of her eyes she rubbed them simultaneously. Evidently, it only made things worse.

"Help!" Finn shrieked trying to flail his little arms. Ironically, it was he who was now buried under the sand… "Molly!"

After blinking quite a few times the pain in Molly's eyes dulled and she was able to see almost normally. The girl rushed over to the orange sprites side and pulled him out, this time, with ease.

"That was close…" Finn sighed with relief.

"Yeah…" Molly agreed, although she was sure there was still sand in her eyes.

"Ugh…what a day…" a weak voice said.

Instantly Molly and Finn turned their attention to the semi-transparent form of what Molly made out to be another Harvest Sprite. The only difference was that he wore a yellow outfit.

"Who are you?" Molly asked the Sprite who was adjusting his hat.

"I'm Collin..." the sprite replied with a sigh. He sounded extremely tired. "I feel like I've been walking in a desert for days without end…"

Molly and Finn looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "What?" they asked in unison.

"Was that supposed to be funny Collin?" Finn didn't seem very amused. The exasperated Collin shrugged. "Maybe. What's it to you short stuff?"

Finn snorted and sat on Molly's head. He was used to being picked on by the other Sprites, but he really did hate it when they called him small.

"Oh!" Molly's eyes lit up as she finally understood the joke. "Because deserts have lots of sand, right?"

"Yeah…" Collin mumbled "I know I could have done better…but I'm sooo~ tired…" before Molly could ask how she could help, the ghostly sprite faded away. Finn and Molly were left alone once again.

"Well, I guess we know what we're doing today." Finn told Molly after a few moments of silence. "Even though I really don't want to help someone like **him." **Finn then added but under his breath so Molly wouldn't hear him.

"Going to see the Harvest Goddess?" Molly asked. There was a bit of disappointment in her voice. She was already becoming tired just thinking about that long run up the hill…

Reluctantly she picked up the bell-which shrunk when she held it by some sort of magic- and stashed it away in her pouch, which only seemed to grow heavier with each day that passed by.

Finn nodded when she looked like she was ready. "After you."

Not too long after leaving the beach, Molly was making her way up to the Garmon Mines District, and not to mention slowly at that. She literally felt like she was going to die; every breath she took in was a gasp and every step she took made it feel as if she had been running a marathon.

"Molly…you could always just walk…" Finn had been telling the ginger haired girl for the last 5 minutes. But to no avail. Molly kept on, her eyes set on the carpenters.

_If I can just get there…_she thought to herself, _all I have to do is walk to the springs…_

By the time another 3 minutes had passed she had finally made it to the top of the hill. To her, that was a huge accomplishment.

"I did it!" She exclaimed between breaths. Her legs were throbbing uncontrollably, but she tried her best to ignore it.

"Oh Molly…" Finn slapped his forehead. If it wasn't for his being there, what would this girl do on her own?

"Wow…I never thought a person could be that determined for a whole 8 minutes!" the comment came from Bo, who had a small smirk playing on his lips.

Molly felt blood rush to her face. The thought of someone watching her the whole time she ran up the hill was just too much for her to bear. "You were watching?" she squeaked. Although she had gotten lucky, seeing as it was just Bo who saw her.

Bo laughed nervously.

"Well…kinda. I mean, it was hard not to. In all honesty...it was pretty funny. Luke isn't around so…" Bo frowned a slightly. Luke could be a bit much at times, but he really did miss his friend when it came down to it.

Molly sighed and shook her head. "It's okay…" she told him knowing that he meant no harm by it "It shouldn't take a person almost 10 minutes to get up 1 little hill…"

Bo chuckled a little at Molly's comment. The girl really had a way of putting herself down in an instant. Bo wondered if Molly was always like that, or if it was just because she was tired. "What's the hurry anyways?"

"I…I just need to see someone really quick is all…" Molly stammered, not really sure what to say. Her were eyes focused on the ground, rather than Bo's eyes. Bo didn't notice though. He just smiled softly.

"Well, good luck with that." Bo gave Molly a gentle pat on the shoulder. Luckily for Finn, it wasn't the shoulder he had been sitting on. "Just don't like…faint or anything all right?"

Molly nodded and walked off towards the forest path without looking behind her. Shrugging, Bo walked back over to the carpenters. He had twice as much work to do now that Luke was stuck in the forest, and that 8 minutes was pretty much his whole break. All he knew was, that when Luke got back, he owed him. Big time.

"We're going to work on your social skills sometime." Finn said suddenly once he and Molly were on the spring path.

"H-Huh?"

Finn rolled his eyes, "You know what I'm talking about…"

"It's fine…you don't have to do anything like that…" Molly really had no interest in coming out of her shell quite yet. It was her safe little hovel were she was free to think whatever she wanted without being judged or told otherwise. Her shell was kind of like her independence. So in other words, it was very small, and very dense.

"Are you sure?" Finn knew that Molly was the type of girl who got lonely really quick, even though she hated to admit it. "Do you plan on being alone forever?" Finn asked.

Molly shook her head. "All things in due time…" she said to the Sprite. Finn wasn't sure what that meant, so he just took it as her way of telling him to shut up and went quiet.

The pair finally approached the springs. Molly loved this place the most of all. It was always warm here, and had a whimsical magic about it. The water was pure and clear and seemed to flow endlessly, doubtless of the cherry blossom petals that often fell on its surface, and the air tasted faintly of strawberries and moondrops. Now with a smile on her face, Molly calmly made her way over to the Divine tree that lay at the end of the springs. In front of the tree, a tall and elegant woman with pale skin and long green hair that seemed to match the stream perfectly was bending down with her hands clasped together. Her dress, which loosely reminded Molly of what a Greek goddess would wear, was spread out around her feet, covering them. Not too far away from her was a sleeping Alan, who mumbled a word or two here and there but showed no signs of waking up anytime soon.

"Umm…excuse me?" Molly was unsure if she should stay or just come back later. The Harvest Goddess seemed preoccupied at the moment. Molly stood in front of her, hoping for a response but too afraid to say anything more. Finn on the other hand, didn't really mind bothering the goddess.

"Harvest Goddess we need to ask you something!" he exclaimed. Finn flew over to her side and poked her shoulder to get the deities attention.

"Finn…" The Harvest Goddess slowly opened her eyes and looked over at the sprite, who had now stopped poking her and was giggling happily. Molly squeaked a little in surprise at the sound of the Harvest Goddess' voice, which she was still growing accustomed to. She had never heard anyone with such a calming and gentle voice…it reminded her of springtime when she was a child…when her mother still cared about her…

"You needn't be so loud my child…" The goddess continued. She rose to her feet and her delicate hands relaxed at her side. "Now…what is it?"

Instead of Molly, it was Finn who spoke again "It's Collin!"

"Oh?" The Harvest Goddess blinked, "So you found him?" she asked, and then another question popped in her head, one that worried her, "Did something happen?"

Now it was Molly's turn to talk. She took the bell out of her pouch and presented it to the goddess. "We found this…" Molly told the goddess, who's eyes had widened slightly. "Collin came out and talked to us for a few seconds…but…before I could ask how I could help him, he up and disappeared."

"I see…" The Harvest Goddess put a finger to her lips and frowned. "it seems the power of the land is much weaker than I had previously thought…" this worried the Harvest Goddess. If no crops grew, no single person would want stay on the island. Chances are, everyone would starve…and she couldn't let that happen.

"Is there anyway we could help him Goddess?" Finn asked, but mainly because he hated seeing the Harvest Goddess frown.

"Perhaps…" The goddess mused. Everything fell silent for a few moments. Then it finally hit her. There was a way…

"Molly, do you recall seeing any moonlight stones?" The Goddess asked.

"Moonlight stones…? What are those?" Molly's face went blank.

"Around the island there are 3 stones were the moonlight collects and is the strongest…if you can put the bell on each of the stones and expose it to the moonlight… I am certain Collin will return to his normal self." The Goddess explained to a confused Molly. "Basically, when the sun goes down, you should search around the island for the stones to help Collin."

Molly nodded. It sounded like a lot of running though…

"Where are they though exactly?"

The Harvest Goddess sighed. That was one of the few things she barely remembered. Before the condition of the island had taken a turn for the worse, she hadn't once thought about the stones. "1 of them may be in the Garmon Mines district…near a house…" The Goddess trailed off before adding "that's all I remember though."

"Thanks Goddess…" Finn said. He planted a light kiss on the goddess' cheek, causing her to blush lightly. He then took his place on Molly's head and stretched. Molly chuckled quietly when she saw the Goddess blush. She could be so cute sometimes!

If only Molly had someone she was close to like that…

Molly had thought to ask the Goddess how much time she had before Collin disappeared completely, but she could tell that the Harvest Goddess was getting tired answering all these questions so she decided to leave it at that. Besides, she faintly remembered seeing a weird stone at the Flute Fields when she was going to get seeds. So she now knew were 2 of the 3 stones were. If Collin could just hold on a bit longer everything would be fine. Unfortunately though, Molly wasn't up for running around the island anymore today. Instead, she would just settle for walking around the islands to find the stones so she would be prepared to gather moonlight the next day.

Collin could wait until then…couldn't he?

As Molly walked away from the springs she began pondering what to do next.

"Are we going to get this over with today?" asked a tired Finn. Molly shook her head.

"We're both pretty tired wouldn't you agree? There's no point in pushing ourselves anymore today…so while I go talk to the villagers I'll just be on the look out for the stones."

"Sounds like a plan…"

Molly giggled. "See?" she said "I can think for myself sometimes."

**Huh…compared to Ocean Eyes this story has relatively long chapters doesn't it? You know…excluding that first one. And yes, the writing style is a bit different. Omniscient or something like that…I don't use it very often, but I think I did good with it. **

**Well how was it? What can I do better? Just as long as you aren't too harsh I'm open to criticism. But don't just say "This chapter wasn't very good…" or… "I didn't like how you did that…" because that doesn't really help me. Be specific, be patient and most of all…keep reading!**

**One more thing…there will be other pairings in this. And I might not be posting for awhile…we had a really bad snowstorm that ended yesterday and my house had no power. Now we're getting lots of strong wind so…you know how that can be. Also my finals will be pushed back because we missed a whole day of school…stupid Kentlake…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I'm finally back! Well…temporarily. I had had a busy week last week with finals and all and I was trying to practice my writing you know? Because Ocean Eyes got immensely boring and it took me forever to realize that a lot of the chapters on that are short and very pointless. The chapters were more like wannabe paragraphs that, instead of carrying the story on went nowhere. Who wants to read something like that? **

**So…I'll try to work on that more. I can't promise immediate improvement though. But I will be making longer chapters! Be patient with me?**

Moonlight

Flute Fields, the Lighthouse, Garmon Mines. Flute Fields, the Lighthouse, Garmon Mines…

Molly recited the phrase like a mantra, over and over again in her head until she was sure it was imprinted in her brain like a tattoo. She couldn't really afford to forget where the stones were, or she would be forced to either ask Finn if he remembered where they were- which would be embarrassing- or look for them once again-which meant another day of running around Castanet. Obviously, there was no easy option, save remembering in the first place. Now she just had to remember where the stones were until 6 p.m. and she was set.

Sounds easy enough, right?

To pass the time, Molly had taken a bath in the hot springs by her house. When she first came, the water had been cold and uninviting; it was defiantly no place to relax. Thanks to her hard work though, it was now the perfect place to nap…

For Finn anyways; he loved to sit on the large rock next to the water that was always hot to the touch due to the heat the water gave off.

After bathing Molly then decided to go into Harmonica town…

Harmonica Town isn't what you would expect from a somewhat remote Island like Castanet. Where you might expect the town to have a few buildings scattered about everywhere looking more like a village than anything else, Castanet's buildings were all stacked on top of each other and each varied in color, giving it a feel Molly couldn't quite put her finger on…

The town had pretty much everything in it. An inn, a bar, a clinic and a fishing store…

**And **a tailoring shop. Sonata Tailoring as it's called, was and is one of the most wonderful places on Castanet. It was Molly's second home away from home. As soon as she walked inside, she felt at comfortable and at ease surrounded by all the racks of clothing, the models donning designer dresses, yarns and silks in all different colors and shades…for the first time in a long while, Molly felt like a carefree child again.

"Good afternoon Miss Shelly…!" Molly greeted the old woman at the counter politely. Shelly was a small woman who came off as very sweet and mild mannered. Sort of like the grandma's you see in shows who know a lot about everything but love to spend their time baking cookies instead. Anyways, Shelly wore a bright pink bandana to cover her graying hair along with a long light blue dress that was covered by a loose and soft looking yellow jacket. Both the dress and the jacket made Shelly appear even smaller than she already looked and the result was Molly always getting the urge to hug her. The wrinkles on Shelley's face reminded Molly of a patchwork quilt; each line telling it's own story.

"Hello dear…" Shelly replied with a cheerful chuckle. "Are you here to help out again?"

When she first came to Castanet, the first thing she had looked for was a tailoring store. Being jobless at the time, Molly had asked for part time job at the shop when she found Sonata Tailoring. Shelley had told her that they were a bit short handed because Luna, Shelley's other granddaughter and the sister of Candace, was in the city. But that was before the Mayor had given Molly the farm. Now in Molly's free time, she would often drop by to give Shelly and Candace a hand because Shelly didn't want her to overwork herself.

"Yes…if that's okay." The tailor shop closed at 5 p.m, which would mean that if Molly worked here, she would only have to wait 1 hour before she could collect moonlight for Collin. That would defiantly make things so much easier…

Shelly thought for a second, "Well…" she began. Finn, bored by their conversation, flew off to play in the colorful yarns that rested in a carefully woven basket. They just screamed:

"Play in me!" Well, to him at least.

"I don't think there's anything that really needs to be done though…" said Shelly after a few moments of thought. "Candace took care of everything before she went to the church…and seeing as business has been slow lately…"

Molly didn't have to let Shelly finish to get the picture. It was unfortunate, but Molly thanked Shelly and smiled before she made her way out the door nevertheless. Maybe she could work somewhere else?

"Whoa!" Finn exclaimed suddenly looking out from under a hill of green, yellow and red. He had just realized that it was Molly who had walked out of the door and struggled to follow after her. The weight of all the yarn made that difficult though, and he had ended up falling. Shelly screamed when she saw the basket fall to the ground. It was a scream that just fell short of Molly's ears. Because Shelly couldn't see Finn, the motion frightened her. But Shelly dismissed it and picked up the basket along with the yarn that had become disgruntled as a result of a certain orange sprite and put them back in there rightful places.

Without noticing that she lacked her small orange friend, Molly walked up the stairs that lead to the Ocarina Inn and opened the door. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of it sooner. The Ocarina Inn was the only place that was open really early in the morning and stayed open until late at night, so it was perfect for passing by time. When Molly walked in, she was expecting it to be quiet but what she saw when she came in surprised her.

It was Maya, Colleen and Jake's energetic food loving daughter.

And…Chase…the not so energetic cook who just happened to remind Molly of someone from her childhood….

Maya and Chase were arguing over something that was most likely food related. The reason Molly knew this was because the first time she had visited the inn, Maya had mentioned that Chase had made the cookies for Colleen, but Maya had gotten hungry and Colleen had given up her cookies and said she would give them to Maya. The only thing was Maya had already stashed the cookies under her pillow before even asking for them in the first place! That story was enough to give Molly a good look into what Maya would be like. With her, it was pretty much food, food, and guess what? More food!

With cautious steps, Molly tried to make her way over to the kitchen where Colleen and Yolanda were talking, without Maya and Chase noticing but then…:

"Oh, Molly~!"

Maya chirped in a high pitched sing song voice. Molly froze. Somehow she thought that maybe if she didn't move, Maya would get bored and ignore her. That wasn't the case though. Maya was already looking over at the petite ginger haired girl with an unwavering gaze. Then in an effort to get Molly's attention, she exclaimed loudly as if it weren't a question:

"You agree with me, don't ya?" Maya could be annoyingly observant at times…

Molly was caught and worse yet, at a loss for words. She had no idea what Maya was asking her. From the kitchen Yolanda covered her mouth in an effort not to laugh.

"Ah…umm…pardon?" Maya pulled Molly over to where she and Chase were arguing; with a grip like iron and without a second thought.

"E-eep…"Molly squeaked. Desperately, she tried to pull her arm away from Maya, but as I said before, the girl has an iron grip. Molly was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Chase had been watching the whole thing, though; he did nothing to help Molly escape from Maya. Why? Both girls irked him immensely. Even more than Luke did- okay, not more than Luke- because Luke was pretty darned annoying. But, you get the point right? He just watched; nothing more, nothing less.

Save glaring…

As soon as Chase laid his eyes on Molly; they became little slits, like lavender daggers, cutting straight into Molly's amber eyes. Molly got the strange feeling that Chase was about to kill her…or something of that sort. If looks could kill then Molly would defiantly be dead by now. It's odd, when she had first seen Chase standing near the church looking up at the sky lost in thought, the wind blowing through his dark blonde hair.…she had actually thought he looked quite charming…but his attitude towards her said otherwise. On the other hand, Maya had welcomed her with a hug and even gave her cookies when they met. Although they didn't taste very good because Maya herself had made them, it was the thought that counted, right? But now, jolly-happy Maya didn't notice poor Molly's confusion at all. While Chase seemed to be taunting the girl in a way…

Instead Maya smiled triumphantly. "That's a yes." She declared to Chase.

"Excuse me?" Chase raised an eyebrow. Molly relaxed now that his attention was off of her; then she looked over at Yolanda and Colleen with pleading eyes, hoping they could save her from saying something she would regret. Unfortunately, they didn't notice her- both of their heads were turned away from the trio- or…they were purposely ignoring what was going on.

Either way, Molly was probably doomed.

"She doesn't even know what you're talking about you pink glutton." Chase growled at the blonde girl in front of him. "Maybe you should explain yourself first before jumping to abrupt conclusions."

Maya stuck her tongue out at the cook and then pouted. "I don't even know what abrupt means, so there!"

"Of course **you **wouldn't know what it means." Chase sneered in reply. He was amused slightly at the fact that Maya's trump card, which in this case was Molly, was too afraid to even look at him.

From inside the kitchen, Colleen and Yolanda were both pretending to talk to each other. Basically they were watching the fight without any wish to stop it. The two women were used to these fights, and they knew that they were best settled between… well, the two who were fighting. There was really no reason for them to interrupt this lover's quarrel (which only Colleen had hoped it was. She had been trying to get Chase and Maya to date for years with no progress, whatsoever.); Maya and Chase weren't children anymore so…

That, and Yolanda found the arguments hilarious to be honest. She knew the fight would end sooner or later so it never really worried her. Usually it was sooner, because Chase stopped caring after awhile and Maya would run out of things to say that actually made sense.

In the end, Molly was just a very unlucky girl 'At the wrong place at the wrong time', as Yolanda would put it. She would most likely get used of it though seeing as Maya had taken a liking to the shy young woman.

"Um, can I interrupt to ask what I'm supposed to be agreeing to?" Molly looked towards Maya, who was still clutching her arm in an effort to keep her there, and searched her eyes for an answer.

Maya blinked not really understanding why she was being stared at.

"Oh…right, yeah." It took a few moments for Maya to register that Molly was asking for an explanation. Maya used her other hand that was free to scratch her head "Well…" Maya started. Chase sighed and shook his head. He was tired of being followed by a bottomless pit. It was like he was being stalked by a walking black hole. Worse yet, it just had to be a pink one. With the exception of the cooler seasons when Maya actually wore her black outfit but…that isn't the point.

"Chase had cooked up this AWESOMETASTIC Fish Meuniere a few days ago. And when I went into the bar to help Chase cook, it was just sitting there on the kitchen counter though. No one was around! I thought it looked lonely 'cause Chase was gone…so… I snatched it right up and took it home!"

"Wha…?" Molly was confused. What did **any **of this have to do with her? "B-but Maya…that still barely explains what I'm supposed to be agreeing to…

"Shh!" Maya interrupted Molly, causing Chase to roll his eyes once again "I'm still speaking words!"

Molly went quiet. At times like these…you just pretend to listen and nod here and there…it had always worked for her sister…

"Then, the next day…Chase made it again. And he had left to go help Kathy with something so…" Maya giggled dreamily "It was soo good and…the next day I just had to…"

Molly laughed nervously not sure whether to agree or disagree in this particular situation. Though she was certain there were some parts of the story that were missing…like, who had Chase made the dish for? Or why wasn't he in the kitchen the first time? And why didn't the customer stop Maya? But apparently these questions were the last thing on Maya's mind…from the sound of it; the only question on her mind was probably:

"When do I get to eat your cooking again, Chase?" Although we all know the answer to that.

Chase let out a loud snort, loud enough for everyone to hear, that signaled his disapproval. His dark lavender eyes- I suppose you could call them violet- went to Molly for a second, and then they quickly went back to Maya and his eyes narrowed, "Two things. First, never make up words to describe my food **ever** again. Secondly, that food was for a **customer,** Ozzie to be exact, not you, and he wasn't very happy when he found out that his food had disappeared…Actually, he ended up leaving before I could make it for him thanks to you. And thirdly…why would I willingly allow you to help me cook?"

"But Chase~!" Maya whined, stomping her feet on the ground childishly as she did so. Molly used her free hand to cover her face. "Your food tastes soooooo~ goood~! If I don't make up words, how will I be able to explain to people how good your food is?"

The room fell into a much needed silence. Save Yolanda's hoarse chuckle. Jake- her son who was busy cleaning the rooms at the moment- really had no idea what he was missing. While Colleen just sighed quietly to herself, wondering how she would get the two to ever be a couple. At this rate both of them would be single forever! Molly wasn't so ecstatic about the silence that had followed Maya's comment either. It was times like these Molly wished she were invisible…

Maya's compliment fell on deaf ears, because Chase only frowned.

"I'm done talking to you Maya." He declared with irritation evident in his voice. Maya's hands flew to her mouth and she gasped. But Molly couldn't help thinking that she was used to that line.

"You can't be!" She exclaimed to Chase. "Molly hasn't agreed with me yet!"

Chase shrugged. "Not my problem." He told her tonelessly. Before walking out he added "Come talk to me in a few years. You know, when you don't have the brain of a 5 year old." And he was gone.

"That wasn't very nice…" Molly observed not many moments later. She had to make sure that Chase was out of earshot. "But then again, no one had ever said Chase was very nice to begin with." Maya sniffed.

"He's so mean~! Why can't he just take a stupid compliment?"

"I…I don't know…" stammered Molly. By now, her arm was going numb and she really just wanted the time to fast forward. Speaking of time, how many hours did she have before she could leave anyways?

"Oh well. Forget that grouch." Suddenly, as if there had never been an argument in the first place, Maya smiled and lead Molly to the kitchen with a skip in her step.

"What'd you come here for, Molly?" Molly was surprised that Maya had even bothered to ask…because it seemed as if the blonde girl had already known what she was going to say. I mean, why else would she have brought her to the kitchen? If only she had done that sooner instead of dragging the poor girl into an argument that had nothing to do with her.

"Actually…I…um…just came to…" Maya was staring straight into Molly's eyes, with a cheerful grin plastered on her face, and honestly…it was sort of creeping Molly out. Colleen and Yolanda were both much to busy cooking now to be bothered, they had spent too much time watching the altercation and it left them sort of a few meals.

"Come on!" Maya poked Molly's side playfully "Spit. It. Out!"

Molly flinched at the young girls touch," Do… you guys need any help here?" She then used a hand to cover the spot where Maya had poked, not wanting the girl to take advantage of her sensitive skin once again.

Colleen raised her head from the frying pan she had been focused on and smiled at Molly. It was the sort of smile you give someone when you're sorry about something but you don't want to admit that you didn't really want to do anything to prevent what had happened from happening in the first place.

_Oh sure…_Molly thought; _now you want to pay attention to me…_

"In fact…" Colleen began. But Maya beat her to the punch.

"EEEK!" the young girl squeaked loudly, gleefully clapping her hands together. She even jumped up and down for dramatic affect "Yes!" she exclaimed "YES!" Molly blinked, not knowing what to do or say, she just watched the girl jump up and down… "You and me can be cooking buddies and help mommy and granny cook!"

You know…when Chase said Maya acted like a 5 year old…he was right.

If Molly had learned one thing from the many hours she had spent at the inn…it would be that Maya was most likely the worst cook in the whole Universe. No kidding. For starters, Maya burned WATER. Water for Pete's sake! Even Molly herself didn't do that! And every time Yolanda finished cooking something, Maya would always want to taste it instead of focusing on her own dish, so Molly was left to cook by herself and more half of the dishes burned as a result. On top of that, Maya got hungry frequently, so many times Colleen had to go by the bar for ingredients because Maya would eat them. It didn't matter if they were vegetables or fruits, or even if they weren't cooked; with the exception of pie dough and fish…Maya was like a black hole, only…she just ate everything that was edible and didn't suck in chairs for a snack or anything…

Oh, and not to mention…poor Finn…

Finn had been searching for Molly for hours upon hours without end. He had gone around the whole town in an effort to find her, and because he couldn't ask anyone if they had seen her, it had taken an eternity. When he finally came to a stop at the inn and spotted Molly, he of course was ecstatic; so he rushed over to the kitchen to greet her and maybe lecture her for forgetting about him- then…BAM! He was almost knocked into a pot of stew Maya was supposed to be cooking that just so happened to be turned on a bit too high. But just before he fell in, Molly noticed him and came to his rescue. Molly knew that Maya was just a bit forgetful sometimes- actually, it was more so that she was just easily excited when it came to food and forgot about every thing else when it came to it, especially when she was hungry… But still, talk about a close call…

The sky barely had any hints of orange left when Molly and Finn left the Inn. Instead, cool, crisp air and a dark velvet sky that was becoming a blanket of stars greeted the pair. Molly let out a sigh of relief. It was finally 6 p.m…Molly's day was almost over…

"Lighthouse…Flute fields…Garmon mines…" Molly recited under her breath one final time before sprinting off. Finn gave her a curious stare but instead of asking why Molly why she was talking to herself, he occupied himself by snuggling his way into her side pouch where it was warmer.

The Lighthouse was in the Harmonica Town District, thank goodness, so it wasn't that tedious to get to. It only took about 15 minutes for Molly to make her way there…

Why 15? Let's just say… Molly kept tripping over her feet as if they were bound together by rubber bands. Though in reality, Molly was just a grade A klutz who didn't realize that she wasn't a bat and didn't have echo location to see where she was going in the dark. But instead of facing the truth and taking caution in her steps as she should have, she kept on running to the Lighthouse, and every time she tripped, she would apologize to Finn who she sometimes landed on when she fell.

Molly gazed in awe at the small and glowing stone that shone beneath the moon's light. The yellowish white beams of moonlight were almost…magical. A bit otherworldly even. The seemed to shoot right into the stone, like a laser.

As Molly laid the bell on the stone Finn fluttered around her head anxiously.

"I don't see how moonlight will help Collin get better." He said to Molly. "What does the moon have to do with **dirt**? I thought the moon controlled the water?"

Molly giggled quietly at the small sprites confusion "That's a question only the Harvest Goddess can answer; she's the one who said to do it."

Finn shrugged "I still think it's weird."

Almost instantly after Finn had made his comment the bell began to absorb the light of the moon. For a second, Molly could swear she saw it change colors; it had looked like it was completely white instead of golden yellow. After a few moments the bell stopped glowing. But it didn't seem like anything had changed…

"Is that it?" Finn hit the bell a few times to see if anything would happen. When nothing did he sat on Molly's head and yawned. "You would at least expect a thanks…"

"Umm…maybe he's still too tired to do anything?" Molly offered as an explanation.

"I guess we'll see after we get to the next one." Finn replied. He still wasn't sure if he even wanted to let Molly carry on with helping Collin- he and the yellow sprite had never really gotten along- that wouldn't be right though. The villagers needed the soil for crops and without Collin's bell that couldn't happen. It sucked but…at least the goddess would be happy.

Molly nodded and started off for the Garmon Mines District…and more importantly, towards the horrible hill.

Many minutes later and out of breath, Molly put the yellow bell on the second moon stone that hid next to the small unoccupied house. She sat down next to it to wait for the bell to catch the light. Sure enough, the bell began to glow once again.

"You can't be serious…!" Finn exclaimed in frustration" Collin I know you can hear us! Come out and say something!" he knocked on the bell a few times.

"Finn…don't forget that we still have one more stone to go to. I'm sure he'll be better by then. You can't rush these things…"

"Excuse me but…who's Finn?" a deep voice asked from the darkness.

Molly quickly looked over towards where the voice had come from, her eyes wide. She didn't dare move, not even flinch. Then the shadows came a tall man with playful blue eyes. He was wearing pretty much all brown, save for the white shirt that was underneath his brown jacket and had on what reminded Molly of a cowboy hat. Molly relaxed just a little; she didn't sense that the man was here to hurt her and that came as quite the relief. The mad who stood in front of Molly chuckled.

"Sorry…" he said "I didn't mean to scare you." And he tipped his hat.

"N-no…it's alright…" Molly assured the man. She stood up so she could see him better. Finn however; fluttered back and forth and went around his head making faces. Of course, the man couldn't see Finn so…

Molly guessed he thought she was a bit crazy. But then again, most of the villagers probably did. That's just what happens when you're the only adult who can see magical beings though.

"I'm Molly…um, who…who are you?"

"The name's Calvin." Calvin paused and raised an eyebrow at Molly. The ginger haired girl's attention was focused on Finn and she was giggling quietly. "Er…" Calvin continued in an effort to get Molly's attention. The man was confused to say the least. Were all the residents of this island a bit kooky in the head?

"Oh!" Molly exclaimed suddenly; she quickly looked back at Calvin and scratched her cheek. "Calvin…right?"

Calvin nodded. "Yeah." He told her "I'm just here to explore some of the legends about these islands…"

"Oh."

"Did you know that it's rumored a Harvest Goddess resides here?"

". . ."

"And not just that…a Harvest King too!"

Molly still refused to say anything. Mainly because it would have been a bit akward to but also because…well, he was telling her stuff she had already known and it would be pointless to say anything.

"Pfffttt…" Finn scoffed. He rolled his eyes and went back to the coziness of Molly's pouch and whispered "Molly…humans are so weird!"

Molly still didn't say anything…but she nodded in agreement. Calvin-not being able to hear or see Finn- took this as Molly saying she already knew what he was talking about. And that made him excited because he had never met anyone who didn't give him a strange look before agreeing.

"So you do know then…?" he asked her. Before she had a chance to respond he pulled out a stone tablet from his pocket and presented it to her. "I want you to have this. I think…in a way…you were meant to have it…"

Finn let out a quiet gasp "That's the tablet the goddess lost!"

Molly did a double take as she took the tablet from Calvin. While out loud she was saying thanks…in her mind she was wondering…

How does a **Goddess** lose something so…well…easily?

Molly had done well with remembering where all the moon stones were located. With the Lighthouse and Mines knocked out of the way, her mind was a bit more at ease.

"After this…we're going to bed…right?" a sleepy Finn asked as Molly was making her way to her last destination of the night. Molly chuckled. Finn could be so adorable sometimes…

"Yes Finn. We're going home afterwards."

"And to bed…right~?"

"And to bed…"

It was already almost 9 p.m. Meaning Molly still had sometime before the clock hit 12 a.m and sometime before the moonlight would stop hitting the moon stones. As Molly walked she made sure to take her time getting to the fields. After all…she had run a lot today.

The Flute Fields was probably Molly's second most favorite area-the first being the Goddess' springs of course. It was a large widespread field that consisted of only grass and trees. The Fugue Forest, Marimba Farm and Horn Ranch were all here. Horn Ranch was the ranch were Cain his wife Hannah and daughter Renee lived. It was also were Molly had been given her first cow. And Marimba farm was pretty much the only place on the island to get seeds so…yeah.

The only thing Molly didn't like about the Flute fields was the Fugue Forest. While she loved forests, she hated the ominous aura that this one gave off. Basically, Molly didn't go near the place. She had a knack for sensing dangerous things and this forest made her skin a goose bump frenzy!

If she ever had to go in there…

Molly walked for a full 30 minutes before she got to the small bump on the ground that lead towards Horn Ranch. Sure enough, the last moon stone lay right there, right on the little hill. Molly sighed with relief and set the bell down for the last time. Her eyelids dropped slightly from fatigue as she watched the bell begin to glow for the last time…

They were getting heavier by the second…like curtains almost…

"Hiya!" a cheery voice, probably Collins seeing as Finn was asleep, suddenly exclaimed from nowhere snapping Molly back into awareness. She squeaked a little at the sound of the voice and caught herself as she nearly fell over.

"Were you falling asleep?" Collin asked staring straight at Molly. He laughed a little when she nodded. "Are you really planning on being a farmer?"

"Yeah…why?"

"You my friend," Collin paused and wagged a tiny finger "have a long way to go."

Molly frowned slightly. Why couldn't she get support from someone other than the Harvest Goddess for once? "I know…" she replied.

Collin shrugged "Well…you may be tired but I feel great so…at least you did something right!"

Molly really didn't see how that would help her feel any less tired. Couldn't he just say thanks and-

Collin disappeared.

"You're welcome!" Molly shook her fist in frustration at the yellow sprite who just so happened to not be there anymore and put the bell away. The wind blew rustling the bright green leaves of the many treed that surrounded the area, and Molly made her way back to the shack she called home…without another word. But what else could she do? The gate that leads to the pedestal was locked.

"Craig! Get your lazy butt over here!" Ruth, the owner of Marimba farm was practically shouting at her good for nothing husband as Molly watched in silence. It was early in the morning and Molly had decided to stop by the Marimba farm to ask the couple if they could unlock the gate for her. She didn't exactly tell them why she wanted it unlocked but they probably wouldn't believe her if she told them that she could ring the bells now would they?

"I'm not going anywhere woman!" Craig shouted back from his chair. He sounded equally as irritated when he did so and it made Molly wonder how the two were still married when all they seemed to do was bicker back and forth whenever they spoke to each other. "For your information I'm busy!"

"With WHAT?"

"None of your business!"

Not even a month in…and Molly had already heard more arguments than she would have liked.

Ruth looked at Molly and sighed. "Sorry." She grumbled. "He really isn't all that useful."

"U-umm…"

"Molly!" Finn exclaimed almost panicking "The yellow bell! We have to ring it~!"

Molly gulped. She was almost afraid to ask Ruth anything after seeing that passionate display of anger.

"What did you want again?"

Molly was about to ask if Ruth could open the gate for the second time but instead of risking her hearing she paused and then asked" Is there…anything we-I, could do to help you Miss Ruth?" Molly scratched her cheek and gazed at the woman helplessly. The older woman raised her eyebrow and cracked a half smile.

"In fact…"she started "We've been running low on crops lately- good ones I mean- to sell thanks to the quality of the soil. So…maybe if you could bring some Good Quality Crops to me I'll unlock the gate for you."

Molly was almost about to jump for joy. That was all? That couldn't be too hard; Molly did have a whole farm at her disposal after all.

"How many crops exactly?"

"Hmm…" Ruth put her hands on her hips and thought for a second "About 10."

Well…so much for jumping… "Oh." Molly fell silent for the hundredth time this week.

"It can be Lettuce, Tomato, Pumpkin or Buckwheat."

Molly could already feel her purse get a thousand times lighter. But still, she asked:

"Can I buy 10 Lettuce seeds…please…?"

Finn sighed. "This is going to take forever!"

**Please review everybody! I need your help…obviously…**

**Tell me what I need to improve and hopefully…what I did well.**

**Next chapter will happen on the same day but will be in Chase's point of view. I like Chase much more than Mark so it shouldn't be that horrible. I love writing for rude people!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I finally got a chance to type! Here's the chapter that I was talking about! Just so you know, this story is going to have a pretty simple plot, so don't expect anything all that creative from it. **

**The other pairings will come soon I'm thinking…I can't wait to write cheesy, fluffy lovey-dovey crud! XD**

_Surprises_

Despite his good looks, Chase was in no way charming. From the outside looking in, you would just see what many would call a "pretty boy" with messy peach colored hair and dark violet eyes that reminded many of amethyst, and you might even admire him from afar without wondering about his actual personality. But, as the saying goes: "Looks can be deceiving." And this couldn't be truer in his case. Everyone who knew the 20 year old knew that he had a temper that could light a hundred matches; and that when his amethyst eyes narrowed into slits, the best thing anyone could do would be to stop talking. If you asked someone to describe him in one word, the words "grumpy." And "grouchy." would most likely be used in frequent succession. Although, it doesn't really matter which word you use, seeing as they pretty much mean the same thing and are both true.

You see, Chase isn't the type that does well with people, especially strangers. He's a very sharp-tongued individual and has a habit of being bluntly honest. You would rarely need to question whether he liked you or not, because he made it a point to make his disapproval obvious. Chase is a cynical and aloof man, and it's hard to see how anyone like this could have a kind side. You know, unless you're one of the exclusive few he's actually friendly towards.

Why were women so irritating? Chase wondered and let out an annoyed sigh. Maya, he noted, was capable of messing anything up doubtless of how simple the task was. He knew he had promised Yolanda that he would teach the childish girl how to cook but he never expected it to be this tedious. He had known the girl for 3 years, yet still couldn't handle her boisterous and carefree personality.

He and Maya were standing in the kitchen at the inn that sunny spring evening. It was around 4: 15 p.m, and they both had their gaze focused on an empty pot that was resting on the stove. Not long before Chase had left the kitchen to go ask his friend, Kathy, something, the pot had been filled halfway with water.

No wonder the old woman had given up on teaching her granddaughter awhile ago. The girl was a pro at ruining every dish Chase tried to teach her how to make and now Chase wasn't sure how much he liked this newer arrangement.

2 months in, and not a single successful dish had been made on her part.

Maya, in an effort to break the awkward silence, looked towards Chase and let out a nervous laugh, "I guess I turned the heat up to high?"

Chase grits his teeth in response, but; says nothing at first. It had only been minutes after he had told Maya to boil water, and it had only taken what seemed like seconds for her to evaporate it.

"How hard can it possibly be to boil a pot of water?!" he exclaims finally. Maya flinches.

"I wasn't trying too…" she whimpers.

"Right," Chase grumbles "just like how you weren't trying to steal the curry I made for your grandmother the other day."

Maya suddenly gets silent. She doesn't want to admit that he's right, so she says nothing. Chase rolls his eyes. This girl was really trying his patience, and he already had very little to begin with.

Chase takes a few seconds to calm down, and then looks to Maya and says:

"Try it again."

Maya blinks twice, confused. "What?" she asks.

"You heard me. Try to boil the water again." When Maya doesn't move he adds "before I give up on you and do something more worthwhile with my time." And he gives Maya a look, which makes it all the more obvious he's telling the truth.

"Okay okay!" Maya exclaims. She hurriedly grabs the pot and rushes over to the sink and turns the water on. As the pot fills up with water she mumbles to herself "Not that you actually have anything better to do with your time…"

Why did Chase have to be such a meanie? She wondered. He was always nice to Kathy. He never yelled at **her** or called **her** an idiot. Maybe, just maybe, he had a crush on Kathy?

She was pretty and really smart…and she did have a good sense of humor…what if the two were dating this whole time and she didn't know it?!

Maya shuddered at the image that had crept its way into her head. She was so lost in her imagination that she didn't notice that the water was still running.

"That's too much." Chase observes. And as always, he was right. Maya had once again filled the pot up to the brim and now it was beginning to overflow. "What about halfway do you not understand?"

"I got distracted."Maya pouts. All of her efforts to please Chase always went up in vain. She could never seem to do anything right! Cooking just wasn't her forte; but she couldn't help the fact that her mind wandered easily and she was easily distracted, especially not when **he** was around.

"Distracted by what?" Chase asks the girl raising an eyebrow. "Your reflection in the water?'

"No!" Maya cries. "I was thinking!"

"Oh my goodness…!" Chase exclaims and fakes a gasp "that's amazing Maya! I didn't know it was possible!"

"You're such a jerk!" Maya sniffles. She wipes her eyes in an effort to hide her tears.

"I don't want to cook anymore! I hate you!"

Maya runs out of the kitchen, past her mother and into her room.

Chase didn't seem to know it, but Maya had a huge crush on him. And if he did know it, he wasn't saying anything about it. Evidently, he didn't seem bothered by the fact that he had just caused a girl to run away from him in a fit.

Now, why anyone would have a crush on him is difficult to understand. Actually, why anyone would like him in any way at all is difficult to understand. Chase has such an intimidating personality after all. And on top of that, was a complete jerk to the girl! But, ever since Maya had first met Chase years ago, she had liked him. She had never stopped liking him surprisingly. Even she wasn't quite sure why. It might be because of how good he was at cooking, or because she found him "mysterious and cool" somehow. Who knows, Maya isn't the most logical girl in the world.

Worried, like any mother who watches her daughter run into a room crying would be; Colleen decides to head into the kitchen to find out just what happened. She isn't surprised when she spots Chase calmly walking out the other way.

"Wait!" Colleen exclaims.

She runs over to him before he opens the door and stands in his way.

"Please move ma'am."Chase asks politely.

"Not until you tell me what happened to my daughter."

Chase rolls his eyes. What was with this family? Maya cried pretty much every day and her parents always acted as if he committed some serious crime. It wasn't his fault that their daughter was too sentimental and airheaded for her own good. He just said what was on his mind, and if she couldn't handle that then it was her problem, not his.

"I didn't do anything." Chase assures her.

"Then why was she crying?" Colleen demands. Her mouth is twisted into a frown.

"Because," Chase says simply "she was thinking." Chase finishes with a shrug. "Now, if you would excuse me, I have an actual job to get to that doesn't involve noisy little girls and listening to them whine."

Without another word he slides his way past her and opens the door. Leaving her to wonder what his answer meant, and leaving her to deal with her crying daughter.

Colleen sighs. Her laundry will have to wait. She walks over to Maya's room. The door is locked so she knocks a few times.

No answer. Colleen can hear her daughter sniveling from behind the door.

"Maya open the door!"

"Go away!" Maya exclaims. But her words are muffled.

"Maya, don't make me get the key from your father."

These words work as if they're a spell, because the door instantly opens the moment Colleen finishes her sentence.

"Maya dear-"Colleen begins, but she stops when she notices the large amount of crumbs on Maya's face. "What were you eating?"

Maya looks down at the floor guiltily. "Your cookies." She tells her mother, shifting her feet. Colleen puts a hand to her forehead and sighs.

"And here I thought you had your face buried in a pillow! Weren't you crying earlier?"

Maya wipes her mouth, and then slowly looks up at her mother. Her nose is red, but her eyes have lost their puffiness. "I was. That's why I ate the cookies to make myself feel better."

"Why were you crying honey?"

"Because," Maya walks over to her bed. Her mother follows. Maya sits down on her pink covers with a stubborn frown, and her arms are folded across her chest accordingly.

"Chase is a big fat meanie jerk face."

Colleen is silent. Has her daughter always been this childish? She wonders. She must have been, how else could she come up with such an interesting array of words? The woman isn't sure how to respond, but luckily her daughter wasn't waiting for her to.

"He's always calling me stupid. And he's never happy with me or anything I do…and every time I compliment his cooking, he yells at me!"

Colleen looks at her daughter and smiles weakly. "I would suggest not stealing his food before complimenting him-"she begins, but is once again cut off, this time by a loud:

"Mom~!"

"I'm sorry, honey." Colleen apologizes gingerly. "What did you want me to say?"

"Tell me how to get boys to like me."

"Not all boys are the same Maya."

"Then tell me how to get Chase to like me!"

Colleen sighs for the hundredth time. "Maya, just do what your grandmother and I have been telling you to do."

Maya blinks. "What's that?" She asks, honestly not knowing what her mother is talking about.

"Pay attention!" Colleen exclaims. "If you do that, then Chase wouldn't mind teaching you. You're less likely to burn things, and forget about what you're doing if you just **pay attention.**"

Maya's mouth forms into a silent _O _and her face lights up as she begins to understand what her mother is telling her. Her mind begins to race a mile a minute, and seconds later she's excitedly saying her thoughts out loud.

"If I don't burn things or steal his food then Chase won't yell at me. And the less he yells at me the more he likes me! And the more he likes me the more likely he is to **like** like me! And if he like likes me then he…"

Maya squeals loudly before she finishes the last part. Colleen covers her ears.

"Thanks mommy!" Maya chirp gleefully. She wraps her arms around her mother's waist and gives her a peck on the cheek. "I'm gonna do my bestest!"

'Bestest' Colleen knows, is not technically a word, and she chuckles quietly. Maya was always such an optimistic girl, thank goodness for that.

"That's great Maya." Colleen tells her daughter with a smile on her face.

She can only hope this will work, otherwise, she's going to have to do a lot more comforting in the future. And she can pretty much forget about grandkids!

Chase walks into the bar at exactly 4:30 p.m. Hayden is standing behind the counter cleaning a wine glass, obviously thinking to himself, and his daughter Kathy is quietly humming a song as she wipes the few tables in the bar clean.

"You seem happy today." Chase observes. He doesn't actually sound all that interested to hear why, though.

"Oh!" Kathy stops humming and looks over her shoulder; she's surprised to see Chase behind her. "You're here!"

"Should I not be?"

Kathy ignores Chase's comment. "How did the cooking go?"

"Horribly." Chase grumbles "Maya can't even boil water correctly!"

"Oh…"

I'm tired of her failing, so I'm just going to give up on her." Chase says this tonelessly.

Kathy stands up and puts her hands on her hips. Her mouth twists into a frown. Chase knows he's in for a lecture when he sees the look on her face. Kathy was always sticking up for everyone. She had a tendency to chastise someone whenever they did something she knew was wrong. Often, the person she would be telling off was him.

Honestly, Chase thinks to himself, it's as if everyone is her child or something. He doesn't like being lectured, but he does admire Kathy's kindness, as it is obviously something he himself lacks.

"Chase. What did I tell you about that temper of yours? You can't expect anyone to do something correctly when all you're doing is yelling at them!"

Chase sighs. Kathy is right, unfortunately. "But she's so annoying…"

"Everyone is annoying to you." Kathy rolls her eyes "I don't even know how you deal with me."

"Maybe because you actually know how to do things on your own and you don't steal what I cook on a daily basis?"

"Chase, just give her another chance…"

"You said that last week, and I ended up in the clinic after tasting Maya's dish."

Kathy suddenly bursts out laughing.

"Why is that funny?" Chase asks. His expression is serious.

"She's **so **bad at cooking!"Kathy says between giggles "who actually **eats **her food?!"

Chase snorts and looks away. His cheeks are a light pink. "Shut up…"

"Did you eat it because you like her?"

Chase shoots a glare in Kathy's direction. "For your information, I ate it because Yolanda told me to."

Kathy smirks. "You're too serious for your own good." She tells the blond. Kathy had known Chase long enough to not be bothered by his glares, no matter how cold and angry they were. "Can't even take a joke…"

"I'm not cooking with her anymore." Chase tells Kathy. The edge to his voice makes it clear that he refuses to be told otherwise "Let's end it at that."

"Okay, Mr. I like to prove Kathy's point."

Chase grunts. "Did you get the ingredient I asked for?"

"Huh?"

Chase flicks Kathy on the fore head. He had come in earlier to ask her if she could buy a turnip for a dish he wanted to try out when he came to the bar. It looks like that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon "So you forgot then…"

"As a matter of fact, I didn't." Kathy retorts rubbing the harmed area. Chase raises an eyebrow.

"Really now? Because I swear you just had no idea what I was talking about."

"I'm having a friend bring it. I didn't have time to go all the way to Flute Fields because I had to help my dad fix the legs on the tables and organize the glasses."

"Where's this friend?"

"She should be here now actually…"

She?

Chase looks at Kathy curiously, but he says nothing. It must be Renee coming, after all, she lives right next to the Marimba farm, and the two girls were friends as far as Chase knew.

Without another word Chase walks over to his regular place in the kitchen. Just as he's rolling up his sleeves, the door opens.

"She's here!" Kathy exclaims. Chase instinctively looks over his shoulder towards the doorway. He expects, by the excitement in Kathy's voice that Renee has come, but he's caught off guard when he sees not brown hair, but ginger hair.

Molly is standing in the doorway clutching a large turnip in her small hand. Her eyes dart around nervously as she examines the bar, and her mouth is tightly shut. She can feel Chase staring at her.

Kathy notices the tension between the two, but acts as if she's aware of nothing and walks over to Molly without a care. She knew that it took Chase a long time before he grew accustomed to anyone, and that his glaring was often a test to see just how well he would get along with someone. Kathy wasn't quite sure how it worked, but when she first met the sardonic cook he would always cast her a cold glare. That is, until one day she made a joke to him about his glaring, saying that he must stare at her so much because he likes her. After that witty response, or whatever you want to call it, Chase started to warm up to her a little more and the glaring became less frequent.

Kathy wasn't sure that would work for Molly though. She smiled at the shy girl and gently took the Turnip out of her hand. "Thanks, hun"

Molly blushes. "I-it's fine…you paid me after all…it's not like I'm doing anything special…"

Chase scowls at the two girls. "You don't have time to go to Flute fields but you have time to go to her ranch and become her so called friend?"

"Actually, I saw her coming out of the tailor shop when I was leaving and we made a deal." Kathy grins.

Molly says nothing and nods.

Suddenly, and idea pops into Kathy's head. An idea that Kathy thinks is both amazing and genius. One that might just might help Chase with talking to women. Because goddess knows he needs help with that. The blonde smirks and looks over at Molly. "Hey, Molly…"

"Yeah…?"

"Can you cook well?"

Chase's eyes widen as the conversation between the two girls progresses. He doesn't like where it sounds like it's going…

"Um, I can cook a little bit." Molly begins, but she stops when she feels Chase glaring at her again.

"That's good enough!" Kathy exclaims abruptly. Molly flinches at the sound of Kathy's voice "Chase, meet your new student!"

Molly and Chase both look at Kathy with disbelief. "What?!" both of them exclaim in perfect unison making Kathy laugh. Molly and Chase look away from Kathy and blush lightly.

From behind the counter Hayden grabs another glass and begins polishing it.

"You heard me."Kathy grins evilly "She's not loud; she has more cooking skills than Maya, and she's adorable!"

"What does that last part have to do with anything?!"

"It's an added bonus." Kathy shrugs. "Anyways, teaching is a great way to learn, and this way you'll both increase your people skills."

Molly shakes her head vehemently. "No, I'm fine!" she assures Kathy. Molly timidly looks at Chase, and Chase looks towards Kathy. She meets his violet eyes with a glare.

Chase lets out a defeated sigh, which surprises Molly and Kathy. She didn't expect to win so easily. Mimicking his glare was a good idea after all.

Chase throws both of his hands up, "Fine…" he growls "she can't be any worse than Maya…I suppose."

Kathy claps her hands together. "Great!"

Molly bites her lip and looks at the two blondes nervously.

She really doesn't want cooking lessons, Chase notices, and he didn't want a student, so why did Kathy keep prompting? It's not like that fact isn't obvious!

"Eating herbs isn't all that bad…" Molly murmurs to herself, she was sure she could do fine without being a good cook…

Chase looks at Molly and makes two decisions. He first decides, to never ask Kathy for help ever again as it never gets him anywhere. And his second decision is that he will never again eat anything with turnips in it, as he is sure that Kathy will remind him of this very event if he does and he will be forced to remember the day Kathy made him lose his freedom.

Why were women so cumbersome?

**So how was it? Please review, as your criticism is appreciated. Also, keep in mind that I probably won't be updating again for some time as I rushed to type this all in one day at a friend's house. And keep in mind that I haven't written/typed in awhile.**

**Is it just me, or does Colleen look more like Chase's mother than Maya's? I mean…in TOT they had the exact same hair and eye color! In AP I'm pretty sure they just made Chase's hair lighter. I swear Maya and Chase were meant to be siblings and not a couple….**


End file.
